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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author Notes-
Chapter 39: Sirius' Shock
"A cave? I see… I think I remember there were a few small ones around the castle. So that's where he sent you," Dumbledore muttered.
"Sent me? Who?" Sirius asked the Headmaster. "My memories of last night are still a bit fuzzy."
"From what I could gather, you nearly died while fighting Bellatrix Lestrange, and your Godson saved you."
"Harry saved me? So it was truly his voice that I heard back then. Wait… is he okay?!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Now, calm down, Sirius. Harry is perfectly fine, as well as the rest of his friends," Dumbledore responded.
Sirius sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Merlin th—"
"Well… perhaps I shouldn't say 'perfectly' fine after all," Dumbledore added.
"What?!" Sirius panicked. "What's wrong with Harry? Did he get hurt? Did Bella do something to him?"
"Okay, relax, Sirius. I will try to describe it to the best of my ability, but I need you to have patience because it's a complicated matter." Dumbledore hadn't originally planned on explaining Harry's special circumstances to him, but after a moment of deliberation, he decided that since this man was the closest thing to a living relative Harry had, it would be good for him to know a few things.
"Ehmm… Albus, you're scaring me," Sirius said.
"Take a seat." Dumbledore paused. "Something did happen to Harry during the battle at the Ministry. Something that, I'm afraid, may have changed him forever."
Dumbledore went on to retell the story that the magical hat had originally shared with him. The Headmaster knew that many details had been omitted, but the basics were there.
Sirius learned that Harry had suffered an accident in the Time Room, where all of the time turners broke down, making him experience thousands of years in just a few seconds.
While trapped in this frozen world, Harry's mind matured, while his body remained the same. However, humans are not meant to spend such a long time in solitude, and as a result, Harry's psyche had suffered, leaving him in an unstable state.
This was especially concerning when combined with the tremendous magical abilities Harry had developed.
The only part that Dumbledore had omitted was the incident where Harry suffered a mental breakdown and almost transformed into an Obscurus. The Headmaster didn't feel like this was something he should share with others.
"That is… unbelievable. I mean, how can that happen?" Sirius said.
"If you're asking me about the inner workings of time turners and the possible effects of time sand on the human body, then… I can't be of much help. But I think I recall an incident where one of th—"
"No, not that. I mean, yes, also that. But… did that really happen to Harry?"
"Well, I don't have much evidence yet, although I could get confirmation about the Time Room incident from one of my contacts at the Department of Mysteries. What I have told you was something related to me by Harry's talking hat."
"A talking hat?" Sirius's eyes moved to the hat resting on a shelf in the Headmaster's office.
"Not the Sorting Hat. A different one. This one talks a lot more," Dumbledore said. "And I have reason to believe it can do much more than just talk." He decided to avoid revealing the real identity of the hat to Sirius.
He didn't want to create another incident like the one that just happened in his office by having Sirius overreact if he were to learn the truth.
"I want to see Harry. Is he here?" Sirius asked.
"He is indeed here, but seeing him now would be a bad idea," Dumbledore said.
"What, why?" Sirius frowned.
"In case you've forgotten, you are still considered a wanted man by the Ministry of Magic. That is the main reason you ended up in that cave… Harry used some strange magic to send you there and avoid being captured."
"Ah…" For a moment, he had forgotten about that small detail.
"You cannot wander around the castle where people could see you. I know you can understand that."
Sirius sighed. "Fine, I'll see him during the summer then. Wait… are you planning on sending Harry to his Muggle relatives?"
"I'm not sure if that's a possibility. I intend to speak with Harry about this but…"
"Then let him come stay with me at the Black Manor. He will be safe there," Sirius suggested.
Dumbledore nodded. "I'm sure Harry would like that, but I was thinking of another place that could be better to aid in his recovery."
"And where would that be?" Sirius glared at the Headmaster with suspicion.
"The Weasley household," Dumbledore said.
"Oh, there… I mean, it's not a bad place. And I know Harry gets along with the Weasleys, but that is a small house and a big family. I think he would be more comfortable with me."
"I thought that you, of all people, would understand, Sirius. You spent a long time locked in a cell at Azkaban, all by yourself."
Sirius flinched.
"What Harry experienced must have felt somewhat similar, except in a much larger cell for a much longer time," Dumbledore explained. "What he needs now is as much human interaction as possible. And the Weasley family can certainly offer that to him. Spending the entire summer in that gloomy house, talking to your mother's painting and that grumpy house-elf, may just worsen his condition."
"I…" Sirius couldn't really argue with that. He had been locked in that house after escaping from prison, and it had certainly done nothing to make him feel better.
"But I promise you that you will be able to visit him often. After all, I'm sure the Weasleys would be a lot more welcoming to your presence than the Dursleys," Dumbledore added.
Sirius thought about it for a minute until he eventually nodded. "Let's do that then."
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